Brown Celebrates 150 Years of Rowing

Mar 11, 2009

March 11, 2009

Providence, R.I. - The Brown University Sports Foundation, in conjunction with the men's and women's rowing teams, held a banquet honoring 150 Years of Brown Crew over the weekend. Highlighted by a video detailing the origins and development of Brown Crew, the event celebrated the early pioneers of rowing at Brown up through the current staff of highly successful coaches.

During the 150 years since rowing began at Brown, the Bears have achieved near unparalleled success, as first the men and later the women as well became perennial contenders for national championships. The women's squad has finished in the top-three nationally for an astounding ten seasons, including winning six team championships, while the men are clearly a team on the rise, evidenced by their Ivy League title in 2008.

In addition to the video history, there were also a number of guest speakers, including Brown President Ruth Simmons and Chancellor Emeritus Art Joukowsky '55, P'87, who was honored by the Brown Rowing Association for his contributions to the program. Head coach Paul Cooke '89 also spoke, as well as several alumni of the rowing programs.

The Bears will kick off their season on March 28, when the men host Yale on the Seekonk, while the women travel to New Jersey to take on Princeton and Michigan.